There are many influences on conservatory design and while there are designs dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, it was on from the start of the 18th century that materials and building techniques developed in a way that we understand conservatory design today.
John Nash the noted English architect designed four conservatories for London’s Buckingham Palace in 1825 then home of George IV. But later remodelling of the Palace under his successor William IV lead to them being dismantled and one of them sent to the Botanic Gardens at Kew in South West London where it still stands today and is known as the Architectural Conservatory.
Symmetry and the “double cube” proportions, so loved by Georgian architects, typify Georgian Architecture. Andrea Palladio, one of Italy’s greatest architects, introduced the ideas behind this. It was in 1570 that he published I Quattro Libridell'Architettura(Four Books on Architecture) that still influences architecture today.
Palladio believed that a building and its decoration should be considered as a whole. His studies and measurements of Greek architecture brought him to the conclusion that the Ancient Greek buildings had harmony and dignity and it was on their principles that he designed.
Another noted English architect, Inigo Jones, brought Palladio's book and ideas to England and introduced this into his buildings, however, it wasn’t until the start of the 18th century that Palladio and Jones's ideas became fashionable coinciding with start of the Georgian Period. As a result, from about 1714 to 1760 the Palladian Style was the major architectural influence.
Due to the cost of glass and the heat that single glazing allows to escape, there was not a lot of glass in Georgian Conservatories. Where it was used the symmetry was continued with the use of windows usually using six-over-six or eight-over-eight panes.
Today this is much different, so a Georgian Style Conservatory will only be picking up on architectural features of the period, particularly the window frames and the type of brick used to support the conservatory.
The next style of architecture in conservatory design is Victorian, but so long was her reign that a number of different architectural styles were being used. These included the Arts and Crafts designs and the Queen Anne style which was popularised on both sides of the Atlantic following publication in 1852 of Thackeray's novel, ‘The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., A Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne’.
A Queen Anne Style Conservatory uses design and architectural features such as, bay windows, complicated asymmetrical shapes, steep roofs and textured wall surfaces and half-timbering. Perhaps the feature that identifies this style more than anything else are the round or square towers incorporated into the design.
As already mentioned, the Arts & Crafts movement that was most popular from 1880 - 1910 influenced another style of Victorian Conservatory. It includes the Art Nouveau style and is characterised by the use of hand crafted finishes, anti-industrial processes and little unnecessary decoration. An Arts & Crafts Conservatory will have an asymmetrical shape, exposed construction features such as wooden pegs in beams, bare stone or brick interiors a low roofline and decorations and furniture influenced by William Morris.
By the start of the 20th century many more design influences from places such as Spain and Mexico started to influence conservatory design and conservatories started to be used in different ways and not always primarily for the propagation and maintenance of plants.
Sun rooms and garden rooms became popular additions to properties. In fact William Howard Taft added a sun room to the White House during his Presidency from 1909-1913. This has been used in a variety of ways by following First Families. Taft used it as a cool place to sleep on hot nights, Grace Coolidge extended it and such was the expanse of glass that she christened it her Sky Parlor.
President Eisenhower liked to BBQ outside it while inside his wife held her bridge parties. The Kennedy’s used it as a kindergarten while the Johnson’s let their daughter use it as a teenage hangout.
I think that gives lots of ideas of how a sun room or garden room can be used when added to a property and is the sort of conservatory advice many people seek for when looking at how they can maximise the use of their garden extension.
Unlike conservatories of earlier periods, today conservatories are most often constructed using timber and glass. A hardwood conservatory will provide the best long-term investment as they can endure the rigours of harsh climates, changing temperatures and wet weather more easily than their soft wood counterparts. Indeed if severe weather conditions can be a problem in a particular area, it is often better to specify an Orangery as the solution to the extension problem.
Orangeries have a history going back as long as those of conservatories and today are popular for a variety of reasons. As they have more solid walls in them than a conservatory, they are easier to insulate and keep warm in winter. By using roof lanterns rather than having a large expanse of glass roof, they also overcome the problem of overheating during the hottest summer months and if the property is near an aircraft flight path or close to some other source of noise pollution, insulating them from the noise is also easier.